Sweat
by Digger McFoogle
Summary: *Sephy Spoilers!* Dedicated to Pip Malloy, author of the inspiring Sing me a Song. The story of the Shinra Gym (remember, it was on 64f) owner Ianthe Mazola as she reflects on the purpose of Shinra. Reviews are REALLY appreciated!
1. prologue

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Prologue: Appreciation.

"_Name: Ianthe Shinobua Mazola_

Current Occupation: Gym Instructor at Myakka Fitness and Health Training, no. 164795, Midgar high road.

Reasons for leaving job: Wanting to expand my horizons

Qualifications: five years training, business degree"

Doesn't sound like much, does it? To be honest, it isn't much. But some how I managed to get that job, the prestigious title which is Shinra Gym Owner.

Why did I apply? There were three main reasons. One: The payroll. Everyone knows Shinra are very generous with their money, especially when you work above floor 59. Two: The People. They all go there to work out; Scarlet, the first woman ever to break into the male-dominated Shinra industry, Reeve, the man that designed my home, and of course the legendary Turks. And three? Well, I suppose curiosity is the best way to explain it. I always wanted to find out about the Shinra, ever since my old friend Zebu went to work as a lab assistant to the great Hojo. He'd come back, a little more reserved every day, until one day he just stopped talking to anyone. I had to know; what was it that made him like that? What was it that Shinra had to hide?

I was young and foolish, I realise that now. But then, I saw Shinra as my Yellow Brick Road, the path to my happiness and dreams. I look at the ruins of Midgar now and I want to spit. You ruined my life, Shinra. But I can have my vengeance…

That's why I'm here. I want to tell you the truths behind that façade. I want you to know what really hides in the darkness of this city.

Will you listen?


	2. Shinra

Chapter 1: Shinra

When I took the job, I never thought I would actually meet the president. But there I was, right at the top of the building, having to hold myself back from puking my guts up. The man was legend. No, more than that. Shinra was the closest thing in my world to a god. And I, little "Incy-wincy Ianthe" was about to meet him. My palms were sweating, my head was spinning, and it was all I could do not to faint on the spot.

"Don't worry" I heard a voice say from beside me. "most people are nervous when they first meet him. But if you really want to impress him, act unfazed. It really impresses him." I never found out who said that. I just exited the lift and stood, alone, in the massive room that was his office, looking at the man who ruled my world.

He wasn't exactly what I'd expected him to be. He was quite short, with dull blonde hair and a scowl that could kill small children. "So, you're…" he squinted at the piece of paper he'd been given. "EE- ANT- THEY"

"Excuse me sir" I prodded with extreme caution. "But it's pronounced "INT-THIY. Like intsy-wincy spider with a lisp."

There it was. The scowl I'd been warned about. But it soon melted into subtle laughter. "Fine then, INT-THIY, you're taking over the gym, I hear."

"Yes sir"

"Well then, you will be administered a key card on your way out. Guard it with your life. We at Shinra pride ourselves with impeccable security. It will allow you to access the floors above 59, which of course you'll need." I had a blank face. No-one had actually showed me where the gym was. I never thought it would be as important as to be on the higher floors.

"Now, unless you have any questions, I will wish you good day." I turned away a to leave when he added one final thing. "Oh, and Ianthe? Watch out for my son, Rufus. He's a bit headstrong sometimes."

I was to learn that was definitely not an understatement.

"This is it, Miss Mazola." smiled the sweet secretary, leading me into one of the biggest rooms I had ever seen in my life. It was the gym, and it took up pretty much the entire floor. After a quick guided tour of my new domain, I started looking around, checking the facilities available. Not many people know it, but if you flick a little switch under my old desk, a door opens to a spa, steam and sauna. Pretty neat, huh? Reserved for execs and Turks only… but I never paid attention to that.

I didn't really take over until the next day, so I started exploring round my new building. The security was tight, there was no denying that. I decided to look down the lower floors, meet some people. They were all… normal. I gotta say, at the time I was disappointed. I expected everyone who worked at Shinra to house some huge secret or other… kinda stupid I guess. There were two halves to Shinra; those who worked in energy engineering and those who worked in the bigger picture. I… suppose I fitted half-way. Anyway, the day passed and then it was time to go to my new home.

Another great thing about Shinra; they give you accommodation. I fell into the category of Elite Staff, I.E about as high as you could get in Shinra without going the wrong side of the law. Elite Staff were eligible to housing privileges, and good ones at that. I was sharing a huge three bed apartment with two other girls; firstly the secretary who had shown me to the gym earlier that day. She worked in weapons under "Scarlet the Harlot" as she called her. That secretary's name was Elena Marshall. You know that name now, don't you? But back then she was just another talent yet to be discovered. She was great with computers, that Elle. She could hack into anything. The second roomie was Nula Mikoto, head of medical supplies down on the ground floor. You met her once I think during your raid on Shinra Hq? She died for selling you those two potions. How dumb is that? Well, that's Shinra life for you.

They were both there to welcome me to their home, and also to offer me advice on the kind of people I'd be running into.

"Palmer's the worst!" laughed Nula as we opened up our seventh bottle of wine. "He's got a serious problem with his weight, it is unbelievable! I keep expecting someone to rush in and ask for a phoenix down for him, he could drop dead at any moment!"

"No way, Heidegger's worse!" chipped in Elena, pouring herself a very sloppy glass of vino. "Not only is he obese, annoying and crass, but he stinks. Trust me, ask Scarlet any day of the week… that guy smells worse than a rat's ass!"

"Hoe would you know!" I retorted, getting a bit giggly myself. "You go round sniffing rodent's behind's or something?"

Crap joke, but we were all drunk enough to laugh our asses off. Elena eventually broke through, exclaiming "Right, so we've got Shinra, Heidegger and Palmer as ones to watch out for… now lets tell her about the ones who make going to work a pleasure not a chore!"

They exchanged a glance and then both cried out a single name. "Tseng!"

I had no idea what they were talking about, of course. But looking back… I see what they were getting at. "Who's Tseng?" I asked naively, watching Elena's face morph into an expression of sheer euphoria. "Tseng Yoshiro Xu is head Turk… he's Wutan… short, dark and handsome!"

"He's amazing" added Nula. "I grew up with him in Wutai. He was, and still is, the most beautiful creature I have ever seen with these two eyes!"

"Damn…"

"Hey, but we cant forget the Vice President, can we?" Nula sniggered, jabbing Elle in the ribs. Both laughed louder than ever. Isn't it always irritating when you don't get the joke? They soon explained it to me though.

"The V.P is fifteen years old and horny as… a really big horn!" laughed Elena loudly. "He'll have hit on you at least twice by the end of the week, no doubt!"

That I had a hard time believing. I mean, these two were really beautiful, so no doubt they got hit on constantly. Nula was your classic Wutan, long black hair, tiny waist with large curvaceous hips, flawless skin and a pearl smile. And Elena… you remember what she looks like, right? Cutest lil' blondie I've ever seen. And then there was me, "intsy-wincy Ianthe" , with my dumb curly boyish hair and non-existent figure. The whole possibility of a vice-president even being able to see my 4 ft 11 frame was a dumb idea to me. "I dunno about that" I told them bluntly, earning even more giggles from both of 'em. "Trust us, you will."

And I did.

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There's chapter one then. I just want to point out: THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE STORY. Its definitely not an OC/Rufus story… you'll see that in the next chapter! So what do think? Howsaboot reviewing and telling me?


	3. Rufus

Chapter 2- Rufus

I settled into Shinra quickly. Surprising isn't it? It always struck me as a really huge and scary corporation, one where everyone worked in fear. But to tell you the truth, as long as you know where you stand you're gonna do fine. And I maintain that I was in the best position ever. I got to mingle with all the execs without having any pressure forced on me, and I got to massage some of the most gorgeous SOLDIERS… life was sweet.

I'd been there for all of twenty-four hours before I met Rufus. The hatred between you two formed almost instantly, didn't it? From the moment he became the big illustrious president of Shinra he got into your bad books. Well, the hatred was developed between me and him…

I was sorting out files on the desk when I first saw him. Or should I say, when I was blinded by that suit of his. Stuff the vice-president, the suit was what got me interested. It was so well crafted, and such an unusual design… call me shallow, but that suit was so amazing I had to talk to him.

"Hello there sir, may I help you at all?"

He grinned at me almost sadistically. That's when I realised Nula and Elena had been right. This guy was going to hit on every girl he could see.

"You can help me in a lot of ways." he said smarmily, his smirk almost engulfing his whole face. Damn, that guy annoyed me! I simply smiled back and said. "The facilities are open throughout the day sir."

"What about at night? Surely you cant be manning them then?"

I was suppressing fits of laughter. This guy was beyond a joke. Sure he was cute, in a teen-idol kind of way, but he was eleven years younger than me! I am not some jumped-up paedophile. Also, lines like that were wasted on anyone except giggly fan girls, which I was not. He had a lot to learn, and as you might have guessed he learnt it. Eventually.

"I tend to sleep at night, Sir." I replied sweetly, handing him a towel as I did pretty much everyone who came through those doors. "Do you wish to use the executive facilities?"

"I would like a massage"

There was a surprise. Every male in Shinra inc had been asking for massages when they found out the new gym owner was a woman. Unfortunately, they were pretty disappointed when they discovered me. "Right this way Sir." I managed to say in passing whilst admiring the fantastic stitching… jeez, you cant deny that kid had style…

I took him into the room, noticing he rather rudely walked behind me… three guesses why. He wasted no time in stripping off that suit either, much to my distain. He was throwing it on the floor! A piece of craftsmanship like that deserved to be treated with more respect… anyway, so he stripped off completely nekkid and kinda just… stood there. I didn't really know what to do, so I just shoved a towel around his waist and ran out, mumbling something about needing to stock up on scented lotion- which basically meant I was gonna run down to desperately seek help from Nula.

In my opinion, you can never get down sixty-four floors quick enough. I mean, I had the V.P waiting very much nude on the table, and I actually _had _run out of lavender. And he was hitting on me. And he was eleven years younger. I couldn't begin to think straight! I burst through those huge green doors and told her everything. And you know what? She laughed in my face.

"Didn't I tell ya Ianthe!" she giggled as she handed me the lavender and a few vials of rose for good measure. "He's one to watch out for! Just remember to call him "boss" tonight and you'll be fine!"

I looked at her in absolute disgust then. "I aint gonna sleep with him, Nula."

"But you have to!" she responded almost calmly. "I did. 'Lena did. At least his acne's cleared up now."

I honestly wanted to gag. That was just so gross… just 'cause he was the president's son we had to whatever he said. "He's eleven years younger than me, Nula. I aint interested in little boys, ok?"

She merely shrugged as I went to leave. "It's your funeral."

I dashed back, only to find Rufus pretty much in the same condition. That is to say, horny and wearing little. He was smirking too… guys should never smile, that's rule number one in my mind. So I started the massage, trying to ignore the emphasised groans emitting from the kid. He was one sick puppy.

Nasty things, full-body massages. When you have to go into well-known hot-spots it's often highly uncomfortable… for all involved. However, Rufus really didn't seem to mind when I was kneading his ass. That kid SICKENED me, damn it! Especially when he added "I've been getting pains going down from my legs… what you're doing is wonderful." Bastard.

Eventually the ordeal was over, but my encounter with Rufus wasn't. He slowly got dressed again, despite my desperate attempts to speed him up by handing him his clothes (and yes, I did sneak a look at the name of the tailor. Damn that was a fine suit!) and even buttoning some bits in. Unfortunately, he got pretty excited by that contact too. "My apartment's empty all night." he purred in an _almost _seductive voice as I leaned over to clear up. "I'll just be me, all on my lonesome…"

"That'll be nice for you, Sir." I said brightly, still fiddling with the oils in a desperate attempt not to have to look at him. He laughed very falsely and continued. "I don't think you get what I'm saying, Ianthe. Would you like my PHS number?"

"Why would I need that Sir?" I couldn't believe I had sunk that low. I was actually playing dumb.

"You might want to… keep me company." With that last sentence the kid slid up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I freaked. I really fucking freaked, and I did something very, very stupid. I spun round and right-hooked him square in the jaw, sending him flying across the room. My eyes went wide… I had just hit the fucking V.P! "Oh, Sir! I'm so sorry."

His face was a red as his hair. Indignantly he stood and tested for blood- luckily for me their wasn't any. He looked at me, and I swear he was close to crying. "My father will hear about this!" he cried, running out of the room and holding his face. I couldn't believe it. A day into my new job and I'd already thwacked my boss' son. I was SO in the shit.

"YOU DID WHAT!" screamed 'Lena when I told her. I wasn't surprised really. The girl had little to no morals when it came to sex; never has, never will. Nula couldn't stop laughing… though after your eleventh vodka you're lucky to be standing yet alone be able to make comprehendible conversation. Elena continued with her little assault on my eardrums. "Why didn't ya just sleep with him, for god's sake! I did! Nula did! He's not… that bad…" With the last comment she collapsed into a similar fit of giggles… yet another joke which I didn't get, but this time I was pretty glad not to. "What is it this time?"

"He… likes you to say stuff." she whispered, her face blushing almost as much as Rufus' had. Nula laughed loudly, and cried out. "Ooooh, Rufus! President Ruffie, Sir Red, KING SHINRA! You're so strong, the epitome of masculinity and strength!"

"That's the stuff!" grinned Elena. "But don't forget, you gotta have 'Sephiroth will never compare to you!"

I was blank again. Why would Rufus want the SOLDIER's name mentioned in bed? "Saywhat?"

"Yeah, we don't know why either!" giggled Nula, who was now in a not-so-pretty heap on the floor. "I 'spose it's cos Sephy's meant to be perfect or something. Who the hell knows!"

"I never met Sephiroth" I said pretty casually. The other two laughed again, and this time I got the joke. Of course I'd never met him. Not only were there rumours that he was dead, but he was a closely guarded secret, and it was well known he lived a life unlike anyone else's. You know about it, doncha? He didn't know about alcohol, he never went to bars, I don't think he ever had a woman or a man either. He was bred to fight; an elite untouchable god that never fooled with the immortals… am I over-romanticising him? I don't know… he was just so…

"I bet Sephiroth is great in bed…" mused Nula from her new position on the floor. "I mean, he's so tall and muscular…"

"and that gorgeous long hair… naw, I'll stick to Tseng thanks!" grinned Elena moronically. "Yeah, but technically it would help if he'd even looked at you!" I replied rather scathingly. Thinking back, I think she was actually pretty hurt. Nula was just in hysterics, which made 'Lena all the more spiteful when she spat back at me: "Yeah, well look at you all on your high-horse, miss I'm-too-good-to-fuck-the-V.P! what's the matter, you a virgin or something?"

I hit her. I hit her harder than I'd hit Rufus, harder than I'd ever hit anyone… why? Because I did that's why… you're gonna make me tell you, aren't you? Okay then, whatever… I got raped when I first came to the city… and I kinda felt uncomfortable with the whole intimacy thing. But that's not why I refused Rufus! God no, I just didn't wanna. That was it. I was fine with the whole episode… I was young and stupid back then, and I'd grown by the time I'd come to Shinra…

But back to Elena… she was not best pleased. I tried to apologise, but the words didn't come out. I just looked at her, and she looked at me, and Nula looked up at both of us. This did not bode well.

But later I did find out that President Shinra had congratulated me on whacking his son. Said it was long in coming. Heh.


End file.
